AI is becoming an increasingly important part of the shopping journey in Australia. Among likely Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) shoppers, 60% say they are likely to use AI to help navigate the sales, up from 49% in 2025 for mega sales events. However, shoppers remain more comfortable using AI to research and compare deals than to complete purchases.
YouGov’s Australia Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2026 report explores who plans to shop, how much Australians expect to spend, and how AI is changing the way they discover and evaluate deals.
Key findings from the report include:
- 44% of Gen Z and Millennial Australians are likely to shop during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, compared with 28% of Gen X and Baby Boomers+.
- 60% of likely BFCM shoppers say they are likely to use AI to navigate the sales, up from 49% in 2025 for mega sales events.
- 45% of likely BFCM shoppers are comfortable using AI to find the best price, while only 10% are comfortable letting AI complete a purchase without asking first.
- 35% of likely BFCM shoppers struggle to know whether discounts are genuine, making it the most commonly reported shopping challenge during the sales.
- 43% of existing AI shoppers say that having AI explain its recommendations would make them more comfortable using it, while 46% of those considering AI shopping want price comparison and limits on personal data use.
The report also explores AI shopping adoption across international markets, the AI tools shoppers are most likely to use during major sales events, and the concerns and confidence gaps shaping the evolving path to purchase during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.